Gas-meter or the like apparatus.



Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

.fizaergM J. GU- NNING & J. HANSFORD. GAS METER OR THE LIKE APPARTUS. APPLIUATION FILED JULY 8,1907.

been exhausted, and this may UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN GUNNING, OF BOURNEMOUTH, AND JOHN HANSFORD, OF PORTLAND, ENGLAND,

ASSIGNORS TO WILLIAM PIKE GIBBONS, OF RUITON HOUSE, NEAR DUDLEY, ENG- LAND.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN GUNNme and JOHN HANS'FORD, both subjects of the King of Great Britainfresiding, respectively, at 100 Holdenhurst road, Bournemouth, in the county of Hants, England, gas-engineer, and The Gas Works, Portland, in the county of Dorset, England, gas engineer, have invented certam new and useful Improvements in Gas-Meters or the Like Apparatus, of which the following is a specification This invention relates to gas meters or other similar apparatus, and more particularl to indicating and recording devices of suc apparatus, in which the consumption of gas, or whatever the meter is intended to register, as Well as the value thereof, is indicated on a strip of aper or the like bearing a suitably displaye scale of quantities and corresponding values, which is caused to move past an inspection window in the meter frame or other suitable index.

According to the present invention, the recording apparatus is entirely inclosed within the meter casing, and on the paper strip, the quantity of gas consumed with its value since the insertion of the strip, is marked by a spring actuated punch, or any other suitable marking device, the said punch being preferably operated by the opening of the casing to obtain access to the record strip or to the coin till when the meter is used in conjunction with a pre ayment device.

By inserting dup icate strips both of which are punched or marked simultaneously, the consumer, as well as the supplier, may obtain a record of the consumption charged for, and the suppliers record may be marked at the same'time by a number or other indication identifying the meter from which the record has been taken.

'The invention also includes means for cutting off the supply when the quantity corresponding to the length of strip inserted has e done in the case of gas supply either by simply stopping the meter mechanism or by transmitting the tensional stress on the paper through suitable mechanism to actuate a valve oisother cut-off.

The recording apparatus, which may itself be considered as constituting a prepayment device for a meter, may also be combined with any suitable form of ordinary prepayment mechanism, as for example the improved form of such apparatus which is 7 Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed July 8; 1907. Serial 80. scans.-

-a iece of inking ribbon is attac Gas-mama on rim Lrxs measures.

Patented. April 20,1909.

shown in the accompanying drawings, in

spindle or drum e as the shaft a is revolved, t

e tape speed being of course proportional to the rate of consum tion of the gas. A friction brake c or equivalent device may be applied to the tape (Z or spindle e to keep'the tape taut. Thetape passes in front of a spring urged punch f which is normally retracted by the displacement of a bell crank lever f or equivalent device engaging a slot in the lid or door which gives access tothe apparatus as indicated in part at f and the opening of which releases the punchf allowing it to shoot forward and or otherwise mark the stri Usually the strips would be in duplicate as indicated at d and d (Fig. 1) and the rear strip (2 would by the action of a stamping device on opening the casing be stam 'ed with the number of the meter or other i entification mark. This may be effected by means of a rubber or other suitable stam f 2 to which od in some suitable Way, the said stamp being carried by or actuated by the punch f. The rear punch a hole in stri would be taken by'the suppliers agent an the front strip left with the consumer as a record of the quantity consumed and to be paid for. In meters with a prepayment attachment the punched strip would be equiv-. alent to the consumers receipt for value received.

In order to call attention to the a proach ing exhaustion of the record strip, t' e latter ortion thereof may be colored red or the atter art of the scale printed in red, or otherwlse distinguished.

The supply of gas may be arranged to be cut off by the automatic closure of a valve on the consumption of a predetermined quantity of gas. For this purpose the spindle a is geared with a screw-threaded spindle the pinion while the valve is g on which is mounted a spur wheel 9 in mesh with a long pinion k ranged arallel with the spindle g. The rotation of t e spindle g consequent on the consumption of gas traverses the wheel 9', which is guided by the teeth of the pinion h to move axially along its spindle until it encounters and displaces one arm '21 of a bell crank lever,- the other arm i of which is connected with the spindle j of the cut-elf valve which is normally held open by a spring 7", A detent pin k carried b the bell crank lever engages a notch k as sown in the drawings in a disk 71: secured to the axle h of the pinion h, to prevent rotation of 0 en The action of closin the valve also disengages the detent and a ows the pinion k and. consequently the gear wheel 9 to be rotated by means of a suitable key applied to the inion spindle, thus enabling the wheel 9 to e set to any desired position on the spindle g, such position determining the quantlty of gas which may pass through the meter before the cut-ofl? valve is automatically closed. It is obvious that this quantity should not exceed that represented by the unexhausted portion of the strip d, otherwise the meter will be shipped and the supply conseguently cut off be 0 ing to the go: as

re the uantity correspon sition to W 'ch the gear wheel g is set been consumed. The wheel g may carry a pointer I which isarranged to traverse ascale of quantities Z to facilitate the setting of the mechanism to cut ofi on the consumption of any predetermined quantity.

The setting mechanism may beiarranged to be actuated by any suitable coin-freed preayment mechanism such as indicated in ig. 3 in which the inion h is actuated to set the gear wheel 9 y means of the train of gear m m which can be operated by the handle n outside the meter casing in the known manner on the insertion of a coin or coins in the coin slot 0.

In order to prevent the insertion of coins exceeding in value the value represented by the unexhausted portion of the strip (1, the total capacity of the coin till may be limited to correspond with the total value represented by the strip.

For the purpose of adjustment, the wind-.

ing drum bis preferably loose on the spindle band is connected with a graduated disk fast on the spindle by any suitable means, such as the pin and hole connection shown in the drawings, so as to be adjustable angularly with respect to the spindle. This adjustment enables the paper strip scale to be set improved apparatus has been descn ed with reference to a gas meter, it will be understood that it may be applied to electric or other meters which have as .part of their integrating mechanism a rotating spindle, the cut-off va ve being replaced in an electric meter by a suitable switch. A 1

Having thus described the nature ofthis invention and the best means we know of carrying the same into practical effect, we claim:

1. In gas meters or the like apparatus, the combination of a record strip driven from the meter mechanism and bearing a scale of numerics adapted to represent quantities of the consumption, with a record marking device automatically operative on the opening of the meter casing to markthe articular numericcorresponding with and indicating the quantity consumed since the insertion of the. strip.

2. In gas meters or the like apparatus, the combination of a pair of similar record strips driven from the meter mechanism with a marking device operative on opening the meter casing to mark the scale of both strips according to the consumption and make an I additional identification mark on one of the said strips.

3. In gas meters or the like apparatus, a pair of record strips driven from the meter mechanism and bearing similar scales representing the consumption, means automatically operative on opening the meter casing for marking the said strips, and means for simultaneously making an identification mark on one of the said strips, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN GUNNING. JOHN HANSFORD.

Witnesses to the signature of John Gunning: WALTER I. SKERTEN, G. F. WARREN.

ford:

FRANcIs Monms MOWLAM. GUs. P. SYMES. I

Witnesses to the signature of John Hans 

